Letter: Democratic policies draining state coffers

Recently I listened to Assemblyman Mickey Kearns’ heart-felt plea to restore state funding for developmentally disabled people, like his brother. He is absolutely right. We all have a moral obligation to help those who can’t help themselves. It is one of the most important roles of government.

The problem is, Kearns and his Democratic Party support policies that have nearly bankrupted our state and make it practically impossible to fulfill this vital role.

They support public sector unions that have things like free cosmetic surgery, artificially inflated pensions, unsustainable health care benefits and guaranteed investment returns in their retirement portfolios.

They support regulations and tort laws that make it prohibitively expensive to create jobs and expand the tax base. They support the Taylor Law, which cripples our bargaining power in union negotiations, and the Wicks Law, which dramatically inflates the cost of government construction contracts. They support state government employment levels that are twice the national average. They support one of the most generous Medicaid programs in the country. And on and on.

If we really want to pay for vital programs, we all need to look into our hearts and ask: What is the true role of government? If we’re being honest with ourselves, we all know the right answer. The question is: Are we willing to make the hard choices necessary to make it happen?